Creative Growth is pleased to announce that work by Aurie Ramirez, Carlos Perez, Carrie Oyama, Dan Miller, Donald Mitchell, Dwight Mackintosh, George Wilson, John Martin, Joseph Alef, Juan Aguilera, Latefa Noorzai, Lauren Dare, Maureen Clay, Ron Veasey, Terri Bowden, Tony Pedemonte, and Ying Ge Zhou will be presented in an upcoming exhibition by Nina Johnson.
Vibrant
Nina Johnson
May 15–July 31, 2021
6315 NW 2nd Ave
Miami, Florida 33150
From Nina Johnson:
Nina Johnson is proud to present Vibrant, an exhibition of new works by the artists of Creative Growth Art Center, the oldest and largest nonprofit art studio for artists with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities. Opening on May 15th and on view through July 31st, Vibrant features works from sixteen of Creative Growth’s artists working across drawings, paintings, and sculpture: Aurie Ramirez, Carlos Perez, Carrie Oyama, Dan Miller, Donald Mitchell, Dwight Mackintosh, George Wilson, John Martin, Joseph Alef, Juan Aguilera, Latefa Noorzai, Lauren Dare, Maureen Clay, Ron Veasey, Terri Bowden, Tony Pedemonte, and Ying Ge Zhou.
With styles reminiscent of Abstract Expressionism to Fauvism and Pop Art, these exciting works highlight a group of extraordinary artists once marginalized by disability. Despite never receiving classical training, the distinct and diverse aesthetic considerations of the works on view stem from a sophisticated depiction of the world and their experiences. In Lauren Dare’s mixed media on paper and board, an obsessive interest in pattern, repetition, and technique saturate her energetic swaths of color that recall Helen Frankenthaler’s emotional abstract paintings. Dwight Mackintosh creates dreamlike portraits and vignettes with repeated outlines that stutter across the paper. His playful, yet complex rendering follows in the lineage created by Cubist and Surrealist artists such as Paul Klee and Joan Miró.
Despite their work often being compared to “outsider art,” the self-taught artists at Creative Growth and beyond have always been an integral part of historical and contemporary art. “It’s important to remember that these artists are part of the contemporary art world, and not relegated to a limiting category such as outsider art or disability art,” says Creative Growth Director of External Relations Tom di Maria. Instead of marginalizing these artists, Vibrant celebrates their difference. Dan Miller’s autism influences his works on paper, producing abstract forms that illustrate a fixation with glyphs, writing, and color that resemble paintings by Cy Twombly. Other artists, such as Ron Veasey, are largely non-verbal and use their artistic practice to eloquently express their experiences.
As Nina Johnson Gallery’s second exhibition with Creative Growth, Vibrant represents a dedication to showcasing the vibrant and important work of these artists. “Creative Growth is delighted to be partnering with Nina Johnson again,” says di Maria, “and we’re excited by her commitment to integrating our artist into the contemporary art dialogue.”
